


Best

by vvavavoom



Series: ATLA Stories [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Dadko, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Parent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:15:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25212280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvavavoom/pseuds/vvavavoom
Summary: "I was just trying to be better.""I know." He contemplates, "But that's not necessary. You're already the best to me, Zooms."
Relationships: Izumi & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: ATLA Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861210
Comments: 14
Kudos: 249





	Best

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the prompt “Give me the bottle.” that @unlimitedelations requested on tumblr.

It was late. Izumi was supposed to be in bed hours ago, but she was currently dabbing her arm with ointment on her bed. She winced every time she touched the burnt skin but if she didn’t do this now, she knew it would be much worse in the morning.

She had snuck out of her bedroom earlier that night to practice her fire bending katas. She had no choice, ever since her evaluation today at school she couldn’t get over the fact that everyone in her class seemed to be progressing faster than her. And some of the other kids made her feel bad about it afterwards. Izumi was too embarrassed to tell her dad that when he asked about her day at dinner. She was the princess of the Fire Nation for Agni’s sake! How could she be such a bad fire bender?

Her father would’ve been so embarrassed if he saw her now.

Izumi made do with the light from the single candle in her room as she worked on tending to her wound. If anyone found her awake at this time she wouldn’t hear the end of it. So, she tried fighting back the tears that threatened to come up, not sure if they were from frustration or pain.

A fire bender burning themselves with their own flame, she really was a failure. As Izumi sniffled, she heard someone softly knocking on her door. The princess immediately extinguished the flame and laid down on the bed, pulling the covers over her. She waited in the dark as she heard her bedroom door open and footsteps approached her bedside. Her shoulders tensed in anticipation hoping they would leave her alone.

“Izumi.” Her fathers gentle voice called out to her.

She stayed silent.

“Izumi, I know you’re awake.”

She didn’t move.

“Izumi.” He placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him.

The girl stopped pretending and faced her father with timid eyes. He lit the candles to get a better look at her.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I was just reading something.” The girl lied.

“Oh?” he looked around her bed finding no scrolls or books nearby, “What were you reading?”

“Nothing Dad, I’ll go to sleep now.” She moved to pull the covers over her head when her father’s hand softly caught her arm.

“What happened?” he asked, looking at the raw, red skin. “Izumi, when did you get this?”

“I- it’s nothing! I- I- got burned today.” She tried pulling it out of his grasp to no avail.

“Burned?” His eyebrow pulled in, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because…” She turned her eyes down to the comforter, refusing to meet his gaze. She didn’t elaborate any more.

“Turtleduck, please.” he lifted her chin to look at him, his face concerned. “Tell me, what’s going on?”

She stayed silent for a long while trying to gather the courage to speak and Zuko stayed quiet, patiently waiting for her.

Her dad has always been an understanding person. He never made her feel bad about anything she did wrong, whether it was an accident or not. He always encouraged her to be honest and open with him and she never had a reason not to be.

She could trust him.

“I… I was practicing my bending and I burned my arm.” she said in a tiny voice.

“Why were you practicing now?” he looked genuinely confused, gently pulling her arm closer so he could examine her burn.

“Because…” She hesitated, “Because…” she couldn’t hold back the tears coming up “Because I’m terrible!” She leaned into her father’s embrace as she started to sob softly.

He held her in his arms, rubbing her back. “Terrible how?”

She relayed to her father how she had been having trouble with her bending. Between the lessons at school and her training with her master in the palace she hadn’t been able to progress as well as her classmates. In her evaluation earlier she had gotten outshined by nearly every other student in her class.

“Oh.” Was all Zuko could say before he thought for a moment. “And that’s all that’s bothering you?”

Izumi pulled away, looking at her father incredulously. “What do you mean, that’s all? I’m the princess of the Fire Nation and my bending sucks! I’m supposed to be the best!”

“Izumi, first of all you don’t suck.” He sighed, “And second of all… please give me the bottle.” He gestured to the bottle of ointment and bandages next to her.

After a few seconds of him treating and wrapping her wound he asked, “Why is it so important to you to be the best? Do Sifu or your teachers tell you that?”

“No.”

“Do I ever make you feel like you have to be the best?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem? Your bending is perfect. I’ve seen it during your training and Sifu always tells me how well you’re progressing.”

“Yeah, but it’s not good enough. It’s so embarrassing, Dad. Don’t you care that all the other kids can wipe the floor with me?” She asked timidly.

“No, I don’t.” He finished bandaging her arm and set it down.

“Really?”

“Really.” He brushed her hair back and brushed his thumb along her cheek. “But I do care that you’re sneaking out of bed and pushing yourself so hard that you end up getting hurt.”

“I was just trying to be better.”

“I know.” He contemplates, “But that’s not necessary. You’re already the best to me, Zooms. I really don’t care about where the other kids are, and neither should you. You work hard every day and I’m so proud of you.”

“Yeah?” she smiled up at her father.

“Yes. Always. You are the best daughter I could ever ask for. I love you” He kisses her on the head. “Nothing could ever change that.”

“I love you too, Daddy.” She giggles as they hug each other. Most of her worries and fears melting away. As long as her dad was proud of her, who cares what anyone else thought.

“Tomorrow can you help me with my training Dad?”

“Of course.” He smiled down at her. “But, you need to promise me that next time you feel this way you’ll come to me before you try any late night bending,

“Ok, I promise.”

Zuko tucked his daughter in and kissed her goodnight. Before he left the room though Izumi called out.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime, Turtleduck.”


End file.
